This is something new that I’m trying, I’ve been thinking about creating a regular VLOG as a way of communicating with other techies and readers of this blog (techhead.co). So here it is, my first VLOG which covers my wanting to refresh my dormant, and now slightly outdated, vSphere based home lab. I’ve always looked towards the HP entry level range of servers for my home lab, particularly due to them running very good deals on them from time to time. I like the tower … [Read more...]

This is just a quick post to confirm that VMware vSphere/ESXi 6 runs on the HP Proliant ML110 G6. Although this is now an older server, it is still very much capable and I know that there are still quite a few being used in home/work labs, hence this post. The CPU, Memory, Storage Controller and Network Adapter are all detected out of the box. I used the HP image of vSphere ESXi 6.0 that I downloaded from here. The images below show what is presented through the vSphere Client – I … [Read more...]

Hey folks, just a quick post to show you my preferred method of mounting 2.5” SSD’s into my HP Micro Server, which I use for my VMware lab server. Most entry level servers, such as the MicroServer, as still equipped to primarily deal with 3.5” form-factor drives which in almost all instances excludes traditional SSD drives. It is technically possible to push a 2.5” SSD straight into the SATA port of the MicroServer, after removing an empty hard drive carrier. The light weight of an SSD … [Read more...]

I’ve had a few folks contact me over the past couple of weeks asking if VMware vSphere 6.0 will run on the HP Proliant MicroServer G7 (N54L)? Well, the answer is yes, most definitely. The standard VMware vSphere 6.0 ESXi detects the CPU, memory, disk and network correctly, without the requirement for any hacks or tweaks to the ESXi image. The HP vSphere 6.0 image wasn’t even required for installation.
In my lab I am running ESXi 6.0 directly from a USB pen drive that I have inserted into … [Read more...]

It’s been a while since you’ve been able to pick up an HP entry level server for under £100, though the good-times have arrived again, at least here in the UK! Note: There is a free delivery offer for TechHead readers on HP MicroServer G8 bundles – check out the bottom of this post for details. HP have just increased their cash-back offer on their MicroServer from £60 to £80, meaning that after cash-back you can now get your hands on a entry level MicroServer for just under … [Read more...]

UPDATE 4th May 2014: HP have released an updated version of the Service Pack for ProLiant (SPP) Version 2014.02.0(B) (2nd May) that resolves the issue originally covered in this post. You can find the update here which also includes an unrelated fix to address the recent OpenSSL HeartBleed security vulnerability. Thanks to Rotem Agmon for providing the heads-up on this new HP update, also check out Rotem’s blog which can be found here. I like to ensure my home lab servers … [Read more...]

There is a new HP Proliant MicroServer on the scene, and this time it is Intel based with more CPU clout and a few minor changes, some good and some not so much. HP have aimed this new G8 MicroServer model at the small businesses (with 10 or less employees) market, but as with the previous models (AMD N36L/N40L/N54L), it leans itself nicely to being a decent home lab server, NAS or home media station.
The AMD based MicroServer models have proven to be popular little entry level home lab … [Read more...]

Just a quick email to let you know that I've been made aware that the UK based HP Microserver £100 cash-back deal, that has been running for quite a while now, will finish at the end of December 2012. So if you've been contemplating buying one of these Microservers and want to take advantage of this deal you may want to do it sooner rather than later, ie: before the end of the week.
I'm currently running a pair of Microservers in my home lab (along with a few other boxes), each with 16GB, … [Read more...]

I run a mixture of white-box and entry level HP Proliant servers in my VMware vSphere home lab environment. I have been running a number of HP Proliant Microservers in the past 18 months as they have offered exception value for money at £100 (approx. after cash back), as at this price-point you’d be hard pushed to even build a PC/server white-box. For more information on the HP MicroServer check out my hands on review here. A number of people have emailed me asking whether it is possible to … [Read more...]

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About Me

My name is Simon Seagrave and I am a Massachusetts (ex UK) based Technical Marketing Consultant working for Dell EMC. I love my work & spend most of my time working with Virtualisation & other Enterprise IT based technologies, in particular VMware, EMC and Dell products.
I am a VMware vExpert (2009 - Present).